Disclaimer: I don't own the characters; they belong to Saban. Or was it Disney at this point? I don't know. :)
CHAPTER THREE
Dru Harrington was still on the loose. Sky leaned against the wall outside Room 109 in the infirmary wing of SPD HQ, his right wrist wrapped with an Ace bandage. He'd been lucky, the nurse had told him. Severe bruising, but nothing broken or burned. The bracelet had taken the brunt of it. If he hadn't thrown up the shield at the last second, Dru's shot would've probably taken off more than that stupid friendship coil.
It hurt like hell, though. And not just his wrist.
His team was out hunting Dru. Jack had stopped just long enough to order Sky to the infirmary, and then, he was out the doors, on Dru's trail. Syd, Bridge, and Z had gone with Cruger and the emergency crew to the infirmary. After Sky's wrist had been handled, he'd headed upstairs. His team was gone. Dr. Manx was gone, and the floor was quiet. He was honestly surprised that they hadn't posted a guard outside Cruger's room, in case Dru tried again.
Jack had promised to keep in contact with him. Sky had volunteered to stay at the hospital. Because what hurt worse than his wrist was the knowledge that all of this was his fault.
I know you just put up with me because it made you look good in front of the brass.
You may be wearing Red, but you're not a leader.
Seems like you could use an attitude check, Schuyler.
He shook his head. Dru had messed with his head more than he thought. For a second, he almost thought he could hear her voice. Sky closed his eyes. "Get it together, Tate," he whispered, and turned to go into Cruger's room.
Sky stopped short when he realized that Cruger wasn't alone. He paused just inside the door.
"…anyway, so Birdie rips the blaster out of the cadet's hand, and just starts squawking at him. About how, like, he's gonna shoot someone's eye out, and how he's gonna make him do a thousand chin ups while screaming the words 'safety on' the entire time-"
Sky's eyes widened even as the pit in his stomach grew heavier. Sitting in the chair next to Cruger's bed…curly brown hair (longer, now, and no longer with the seafoam green highlights) streaked with fluorescent orange that seemed to glow if the lights in the room caught her hair just right. She wore the basic gray and black uniform of an SPD cadet in training.
Is that…
One hand rested on top of Cruger's paw on top of the sheets, rubbing it gently, as if willing the Sirian to wake up. "I know you're gonna be ticked at me when you wake up," she continued. "But I couldn't just stay away, not after hearing what happened." Her voice cracked. "You're the only family I've got left, Doggie, and I wasn't gonna leave you alone. So you'd better wake up-"
"Luna?" Sky breathed the word, afraid that if he said it out loud, it wouldn't be true.
The woman stopped midsentence. Slowly, Luna Oliveira got up from her place next to Cruger, and turned to face Sky. Her blue eyes were red-rimmed, but when she recognized who was standing there, her eyes widened in recognition. "Sky?"
He swallowed. "I-hi," he managed to muster out.
Luna flew across the room, melting into his arms. He ignored the twinge in his wrist as he wrapped his arms around her, burying the fingers of his left hand in her hair, resting her chin on top of her forehead. She felt the same in his arms as she had ten years ago. Familiar, and yet…things had changed. "Sky, what happened to him?" she breathed into his blue and black uniform jacket. "What happened?"
Tears stung his own eyes as he paused before answering. "I…it's my fault," he whispered. "It's all my fault." He was embarrassed to note that his knees sagged, that he felt Luna easing him to the floor, still supporting him after all these years.
"I don't believe that for a second, Schuyler," Luna said softly, her attention now focused on her best friend. "What do you mean, 'it's my fault'?" He didn't say anything, and Luna pulled him into a tight hug. "Hey. Talk to me."
He pulled away from her, drawing his knees up to his chest. "I….I'm not the same guy I was when you left, Luna," he admitted. "I….I've changed."
Luna nodded thoughtfully. "Well, you're not kidding," she told him. "The Schuyler Tate I knew wouldn't be a big ball of emotion on a hospital floor."
He choked out a laugh, despite it all. "How is it you're back for five minutes," he wondered, "and I'm already a mess?"
"You were always a mess, Schuyler," Luna said into his hair.
Sky shook his head. He stood back up, looking down at Doggie in the hospital bed. "Where've you been all this time, Lu?" he asked quietly.
Luna ran a thumb under her eye, wincing a bit when her mascara came with it. "Ceres V," she replied. "Um, Kat and Doggie thought I'd be safe at the training academy there."
Sky eyed her clothing. "Yeah. You know, you said you never wanted to join SPD."
"Yeah well," Luna sighed. "Didn't really have much of a choice. 'Blend in,' they said," she said, sounding a little bitter. "Keep a low profile. Don't draw attention to yourself."
"Have they met you?" Sky picked up a strand of her bright orange highlight and let it fall back to her shoulder.
Now it was Luna's turn to laugh. "You should've seen the hot pink a few years ago. Just about drove Commander Birdie up the wall." Then, her face fell. "I um, as soon as I heard through the grapevine, that Doggie had gotten hurt, I fast talked my way onto a transport and got here as soon as I could." Tears welled in her eyes as she took Doggie's paw again. "I wasn't gonna stay hiding while another person I care about d-"
She burst into tears. Sky wrapped his arms around her. "Hey," he whispered. "I'm just glad you're back. You have no idea how much…how much I-" He pulled her into a hug. There was so much he wanted to tell her. Say to her. Ten years. How do I even begin to make up for ten years' of missed conversations?
All he could manage was a, "God, I'm so glad you're back."
"Yeah," Luna whispered into his uniform jacket. "Yeah, me too."
Just then, Sky's morpher beeped. Jack's tinny voice interrupted the moment. "Sky. We think we found Dru."
Luna pulled away and looked up at him. "Dru?"
Sky's facial features steeled. "Yeah. The guy that did this to Cruger," he explained, and Luna's eyes widened. He thumbed the communicator. "Where?" he demanded of Jack.
"The Cineplex on 89th," Jack reported.
"I'm on my way." He looked at Luna. "There's something I gotta go take care of. Are you…will you-?"
Luna nodded. "I'll still be here." She squeezed Sky's hand. "Promise."
"Okay." He turned to head out the door. "By the way," he told her, offering her a smile, "I made Ranger."
She looked him up and down. "Blue?" she asked dryly, and Sky ducked his head in embarrassment. "There's a story there," Luna guessed.
"Yeah. One I need to tell you about when I get back," Sky said. "Take care of Cruger." He disappeared out the door.
Luna looked down at her godfather, the machines humming softly in the background. "Will do," she whispered.
Sky met his team at the Cineplex, now evacuated. "….he gave everybody in theatre 12 a big surprise when he came slashing through the screen," Bridge was saying. "They all thought it was part of the movie at first."
"Talk about 3D," Z kidded.
Bridge grinned behind his helmet. "Yeah, the full surround sound experience!"
"Theatre 12?" Sky confirmed. "Thanks." He pushed past his team and disappeared into the building.
Jack sighed. "He's never gonna work with us, is he?" he asked, pounding a fist into his gloved hand.
"Maybe just let him have this one?" Syd suggested. "It is a little personal after all." Then, she put a hand on Jack's shoulder. "I mean, at least he showed up when you called."
"Yeah," Jack replied, eyes on the door. "Yeah, I guess."
A shadow fell across the movie screen, and Sky looked up into the back of the theatre to see an ominous black figure standing in the projection booth. He took the stairs on the aisle two at a time, hoisting himself up through the broken window, and came face to face with Dru Harrington.
"Thought this might get your attention," Dru shrugged. "You never paid attention to me before; maybe you'll pay attention now."
Standing in the light of the projector, Sky morphed into the SPD Blue Ranger, and pulled his Delta blaster from its' holster. "It doesn't need to be this way, Dru. Broodwing's using you as a pawn. You could turn state's evidence; give us what you know."
"I'm already looked at attempted murder, Sky," Dru said shortly, shaking his head in amusement. "Somehow I don't think dumping Broodwing into their lap is going to get me off the hook."
"You never know," Sky replied. Then, he added, "Your call. Make the right decision."
Dru had always been quick off the draw. He was fast.
Sky was faster. His shot landed exactly where he'd wanted it to go. Dru screamed as a bolt went through his gun hand, making him drop the stolen blaster to the carpet. He dropped to his knees, writhing in agony. "You're no hero!" he was screaming at Sky. "All you've got is your pride! You'll push everybody out of the way to advance your own career and get what you want. You don't care about anyone else!"
"Sky!"
Syd and the other rangers came running into the theatre below them. Sky glanced over his shoulder, gave them a wave. "Yeah," he agreed, turning back to Dru. "Yeah, you're not wrong. But the thing about people, Dru? They can change. They take what's happened in their life and it does one of two things: it puts them on a path for good, or it puts them on a path like yours."
Syd and Bridge looked over at Jack. The tension in the Red Ranger's shoulders dropped, just a little. That was something he could relate to…
Sky pulled his morpher off his belt. "I'm sorry," he told Dru, meaning it. "For the way I treated you at the Academy." He looked back over his shoulder. "And I'm gonna start trying to be a better person. A better teammate."
He got down in Dru's face. "And I'm gonna bring everybody working with Broodwing down," he hissed at him. "Starting with you. You're under arrest."
After dropping Dru's containment card off at SPD, the B-Squad rangers met back at the infirmary. As they walked down the hall to Cruger's room, Sky suddenly stopped midstride and held up a hand, sending his team staggering into each other like bowling pins. He spun around. "I, um. Before we go in, there's something I need to-to tell you guys."
He took a breath. "Look, I'm sorry I've been an ass." He looked at Syd and Bridge. "Especially to you guys. All those years…you guys have been my friends and stood by me. You didn't deserve any of the attitude. We all…well." He paused, ran a hand through his hair. "We all were dealing with the same stuff. I maybe took it a little too far."
"I was right," a voice spoke up from behind him. "There is a story there."
Bridge's eyes went wide. Syd's hand flew to her mouth with an audible gasp. Jack and Z looked at their teammates, then at Sky, and then at the woman leaning out of Cruger's room. She was a little taller than Syd, brown hair streaked bright orange, and bright blue eyes. Jack could see from Syd's story where her foundation was a little thicker just under her bangs, above her eyebrows.
He knew who this was before Sky even pulled her into the hall with them. "Ah, Jack, Z," he said, tugging the woman forward. "This is-"
"Luna?" Bridge and Syd asked together, in the same incredulous tone.
Luna Oliveira bit her lip and gave them a wave. "Hi, everybody," she said softly.
